Best general purpose zoom lens for a Canon 600D?

Richdog · 15 Nov 2015 at 07:56

Morning chaps. My friend has a Canon 600D APC-S camera and is looking to buy a good all-purpose zoom lens, which I have been tasked with finding. He is not a demanding user so no use using any more than a moderate budget, but nonetheless I want to get him something with decent range that provides decent image quality throughout. In addition, I want to recommend him a cheap "nifty fifty" to give him a bit of flexibility and maybe encourage a bit of creativity.

I am not au fait with Canon, but have identified the following:

Nifty fifty:

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM (£75)

All-purpose zoom:

Canon EF-S 18-135mm, f/3.5-5.6 IS (£261)
Canon EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM (£252)

Suggestions welcome please.

MichaelAwkward · 15 Nov 2015 at 10:03

The EF-S 24mm would IMHO be a better choice than the nifty fifty due to the crop factor. It gives 35mm equivalent FL vs 75 with the 50.

For an all purpose zoom, your friend could get the EF-S 15-85 used for around the same price as those two. It's a much better lens than either. The 24-105 doesn't make sense on a crop body either (35-168mm EFL). He could get the 18-135 used for around half the new price too.

Phal · 15 Nov 2015 at 10:37

24mm STM or 40mm STM pancakes are nice (sharp and small) but obviously lack in versatility

15-85mm is probably the most flexible focal length for a zoom
18-135STM is pretty versatile
17-55mm F2.8 is very good too

I'd say a lens that goes a few mm wider (15mm or 17mm) is more important than anything past 55mm. 55mm or 135mm won't make much difference if you're looking for something like wildlife.

If you have the wider end of things covered then the 55-250mm is better if you want something with more range.

Richdog · 15 Nov 2015 at 11:18

Thanks guys!

As I said, this is for a reaonsable undemanding user who will in all likelihood not be second-guessing the equipment, or pixel peeping, so what he is looking for is a lens with as wide and as long a range as possible with the best image quality possible within those limitations. While I appreciate your opinions, I personally feel that 17-55 is not going to be as versatile for general snapping and travel as 18-105 or 18-135, the extra optical range will be very useful to him, regardless of the inferior IQ or low light capabilities. I say that from my own experience with him and I stand by that opinion. The 17-55 (and the 15-85) also costs double what the other lenses cost, and knowing him he will certainly not buy used, he will only buy new with full warranty.

So with that in mind, do you think the 18-135mm represents the most flexible option? I think that will give decent results for him and will also let him do video without any fuss.

Regarding the 50mm, yeah I agree, it may be a bit long on a crop sensor. Such a shame that Canon don't have anything to compare to the amazin Nikon 35mm 1.8 DX. The 24mm STM looks like a decent option, I will recommend it to him and see what he says!

Genoma · 15 Nov 2015 at 11:28

The 18-135 is not a bad lens with decent light, if he isn't pixel peeping he will be very happy indeed, I took more than 1000 shots with mine before I sold it and was more than happy with the results. Another absolute bargain if he wants more range later is the 55-250 STM. Cheap and very cheerful.

On the other side of the equation the new 10-18 is another bargain on the wide side. I have the more expensive 10-22 and it's always in my bag.

Richdog · 15 Nov 2015 at 11:30

Genoma said:
The 18-135 is not a bad lens with decent light, if he isn't pixel peeping he will be very happy indeed, I took more than 1000 shots with mine before I sold it and was more than happy with the results. Another absolute bargain if he wants more range later is the 55-250 STM. Cheap and very cheerful.

On the other side of the equation the new 10-18 is another bargain on the wide side. I have the more expensive 10-22 and it's always in my bag.

Thanks mate that's a good recommendation in my eyes. He will mostly be in decent light, and when not I am suggesting he buy a Yongnuo YN-565EX II for decent flash work as I think that will improve indoor photography considerably.